I recently met Jimi at a children's park in Fairfax, CA. Jimi moved a year ago from Brooklyn to Fairfax. She teaches yoga and has three kids. For just meeting each other, we had a lot to talk about. I was immediately struck by her graceful energy, so I reached out to her for a brief interview. This interview series was sparked by an interest in learning more about how others maintain their personal or artistic practices while navigating through the everyday obstacles of their lives. We have a lot to learn from each other.

Big sister and brother admiring the new baby.

PLACEWhere are you from?London (2001-2015 NYC)

What brought you here? (Homesick husband and willingness to add another chapter to my life, aware that I could find small town living challenging)

What keeps you here?Promised to try for 5 years.

How has this place helped you develop? Found out what lostness is and am having to seek new ways to function.

If not here, where would you be? New York / Rome

What do you love about your home (domestic space)? Stars at night, sound of creek in winter.

Favorite place of all time? London as a teen.

CRAFTWhat is your favorite occupation?Practicing / teaching yoga.

What are you passionate about?Excellent people, good conversation, learning curves, not being dead yet, practicing the art of mothering.

I am so grateful for the incredible friends I have made along the way. I asked a few of them to reflect on friendship.Here are some highlights:

Lila and I preparing for a music video that was made as a plea for Maya to return from India. We learned leotards and pregnancy are a great combination. c. 2012

Lila (We met when Lila performed at the Subterranean Arthouse.)I wish my heart was grand enough to feel a friend in every being. Until then, there are grand people I enjoy calling friends. People who share and listen patiently, in equal parts. Who teach kindness, mindfulness and presence in their act of presence. And who humbly remind me to be humble. A line from a song I wrote recently in evaluation of a fair-weather friendship : "Are you a friend who really cares if you only say what I want to hear?/you held me up but you didn't lift me up." Real friends don't feed one's delusions, but rather elevate the wholesome parts of oneself. Friendship over time has the quality of a shared journey. I love these friends that I know I can see, even once a year--after almost 30 years even, and the spirit of love and play is still in tact. And the new friends, who we access at important transitions in life--being pregnant together, moving to a new place, a new career--are certainly the joyful faces along this path of impermanence. I’m living abroad this year, and watching my daughter make friends in Italy when we first arrived was a beautiful reminder that friendship has its own language. In a preternatural moment she coined the term "Destination of Voices" or "play language," describing that she could listen in Italian, reply in English and all was understood. This is helpful for me, somewhat of a word addict, but slow to pick up a second language--remembering that the trust that comes from being present with people can simply involve sitting, smiling, dancing, playing, eating (here in Italy they say, "Have we eaten together?," as in, "Do we know each other?"). I'm grateful for the ways in which technology has allowed my silver and gold friends from all over the world to be together. And even without it, space between us feels like the sweet silence between friends who are comfortable enough together to let there be quiet, as we sit side by side on the big Earth, and breath in and out.

Maya (We met through Nicole, my business partner at the Subterranean Arthouse.)I think with all of my good friendships it's been love at first sight, but without all the crazy effects of sexual chemistry.

Stephanie (We met in 8th grade.)Once a friend, always a friend! What once connected two people as a childhood friend can be very different as an adult. But what keeps them together is a not-so-simple fact, LOVE!

It might be the love you have for them as a person; recognizing all the good they give to this crazy world. It could be the love of the memories you shared with that person, the laughter shared, hard times you’ve gotten through together, secrets that no matter how distant you've become remain secret between just you and that person. Friendships are personal and evoke feelings within your spirit about yourself, or the way that person knows just what to do to lift you up on a bad day. Maybe it’s just watching them flow through their lives that brings you a calmness which you crave and is contagious. Some friendships are unbalanced and those seem to fizzle out in my experience. I truly believe you have to put in the energy you take or you drain the bank until nothing is left.

One of my favorite Wonder year quotes regarding friendship is, “Some people pass through your life and you never think about them again. Some you think about and wonder what ever happened to them. Some you wonder if they ever wonder what happened to you. And then there are some you wish you never had to think about again. But you do.”

Andrea (We were neighbors in Berkeley and met when our babies were brand new.)It wasn’t until I moved to Los Angeles from Berkeley that I realized how much I love and need my friends. My best friends and I went to college together, lived together and started our lives as working professionals and young adults together. We’ve experienced the past 16 years together and that has forever bonded us. Even though we were all in the Bay Area, as our lives changed and we all got married and had kids, life would often get in the way and get-togethers would get pushed to the side or cancelled (mostly due to someone’s kid getting sick!). We took for granted how close we were to each other.

A year and a half ago I moved quite suddenly with my husband and son to Los Angeles for my husband’s job. We had 3 weeks to pack our house and move, and I didn’t make the time for a proper goodbye fest with my friends. I was nervous about the move and was only a few weeks pregnant with our second son.

Getting our new life set up in L.A. took time but I got in a routine and was relatively happy except for one thing – I didn’t have any friends in L.A. I didn’t realize it when I agreed to move, but it is incredibly hard to make friends as an adult, especially for someone who’s a shy introvert like myself! I often felt isolated and alone the first year as I didn’t have anyone to talk to during the day when I was home with my 3 year old. Sure there were the other moms at my son’s preschool and the moms in my Mommy and Me classes, but to truly build a friendship and relationship with someone is hard when life revolves around your children’s schedules and no one has the time to meet for coffee, see a movie, or really do anything where kids aren’t demanding your attention. And unless someone’s a recent transplant like myself, most people have their core group of friends already. That being said, I’ve made a couple of friends whose company I enjoy but it will never be the same as spending time with my friends at home.